Dry Bones (DVD)
Scott Hallam
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Starring Michael O’Hear, Debbie Rochon, Paul McGinnis, John Renna, Kathy Murphy, Duane Smith, Kim Piazza, Amelie McKendry, Jessica Zwolak, Tammy Reger
Directed by Gregory Lamberson and Michael O’Hear
Distributed by Entertainment One
In the first few moments after you begin Dry Bones, you’ll become instantly aware that you are watching a micro-budget indie horror film. There is no slick filmmaking, no glossy special effects, nothing that screams any kind of budget at all. But the funny thing is, about halfway through Dry Bones I started to realize that it had drawn me in. This little indie turned out to be one charming and entertaining horror movie.
That’s not to say that we have the next coming of Halloween here, but Dry Bones does have charm. Lead actor Michael O’Hear plays down-on-his-luck sad sack Drew. He’s back in his hometown, where terrible things happened to him in his youth, to quickly sell his house and get back to trying to get his life back on track after an unfortunate stay in a nuthouse. Throughout his life he’s been haunted by something under his bed (haven’t we all?), and during the course of the movie we discover just what that something is… and how evil it can be!
Dry Bones features an appearance by one of my personal favorite actresses, Debbie Rochon. Rochon is like cheese; she just makes everything better. And Rochon appears as mysterious love interest Michelle. The appearance of Rochon in Dry Bones brought up an interesting comparison. Not long ago she was in a film entitled Nightmare Box, and it was another indie that, from the get-go, looked like it was going to be swallowed up into no-budget hell. But that movie, for as inexpensively as it was made, had a tremendous story (and finale) to it that really made it great. And Dry Bones is like that. But it’s not the story that does it this time; it’s actually the characters. The acting is, for the most part, pretty stiff, but you do fall in love with O’Hear’s lead character and many of the supporting cast as well.
Amongst those I really enjoyed were Drew’s best buddy, Tom, played by Paul McGinnis, as well as his love interest, Cindy (Jessica Zwolak). Also, the comedy brought to the film by John Renna (who played Officer Carl Denham) and the sultry allure of Amelie McKendry as Rachel cannot be understated. What this cast lacks in experience, they make up for with heart and magnetism.
There is some F/X work in this film that is really just bad (I’ve never rolled up a skeleton like a sleeping bag, but apparently it’s possible). But even as ridiculous as it was, it added to the charm of Dry Bones. Everything is pretty much “off” in this movie, but somehow the whole damn thing kinda works. I can’t explain it except to say it’s a fun movie. And isn’t that the entire point of filmmaking? Whether the budget is $200 or $200 million, the point is for the audience to be entertained. And Dry Bones is nothing if not entertaining.
The special features on the disk follow suit with the film itself. Basically they are some trailers, a commentary by the directors and crew, and a 22-minute behind-the-scenes feature that contains bloopers, outtakes, and a bunch of clips of cats walking into the shot. Yes, everything about this disk is entertaining!
Dry Bones… the acting is weak, the F/X are damn near laughable, and it seemed like most of the cast and crew were on their first project, but somewhere during this movie you’re going to find yourself drawn in. The characters are fun. The story is fun. And Debbie Rochon is fun, fun, fun as usual! Go into the movie with the understanding that it’s a micro-budget project that is doing its best to work around an extremely limited budget and come out with something enjoyable. They did it.
Dry Bones isn’t going to turn the Academy Award Voting Committee on its ear, but horror fans certainly may get a charge out of this one. We can only rate it so high because it does have plenty of warts, but if you can look past its imperfections, Dry Bones will give you something to enjoy.
Special Features
- Audio commentary with cast and crew
- Behind-the-Scenes featurette
- Trailers
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Film
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
